A Gokai Christmas Story
by Little Goose Girl
Summary: It's Christmas aboard the Gokai Galleon! And what's a Gokai Christmas without a few dillemas, lots of food  for Marvelous' sake  and an over-enthusiastic Gai?
1. Part One

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Super Sentai or anything associated with it.

**Rating:** K

**Summary: **It's Christmas aboard the Gokai Galleon! Just a little ramble fic because I'm in the holiday spirit :-D

**A/N: **Merry Christmas everyone! The upcoming episode of Gokaiger is about Gai getting everyone excited for Christmas, yeah? So here are just a few random takes on what could (but definitely won't) be happening on the Gokai Galleon this Christmas. It's based loosely on bits of the trailer ;-)

**A GOKAI CHRISTMAS STORY**

**Part one**

This whole 'Christmas' idea was starting to sound very good to Captain Marvelous. The food, the presents, the food, the tree, the food, the cheer—and did he mention the food?

"This one," he pointed enthusiastically at the chocolate pudding in one of Doc's cookbooks.

Joe looked up from the mixing bowl in front of him, gave the page a bored glance, and went back to his mixing. "I'm already making it," he said monotonously.

"Excellent," Marvelous' eyes lit up. He looked over to the bowl with childlike delight as Joe pulled the spoon up, pouring the chocolate back into the bowl to check the consistency. Marvelous never looked away from the bowl, dreamily thinking about how the pudding would taste when it was done.

Joe repeated the consistency test a few moments later, very aware of Marvelous' hawk-like stare and dangerous smile. "Go away," Joe said bluntly without looking away from what he was doing.

"Eh?" Marvelous asked.

"You're making the pudding nervous, and you're annoying me. Go. Go help Gai and the girls decorate the tree."

Marvelous was about to pull rank, when he remembered Doc was in the kitchen, preparing a practice roast for the one he was going to cook in two days' time. "I'll see if Doc needs any help," he said, rushing to his feet. Joe just shook his head slightly and continued with his baking.

A few minutes later, Gai wandered over and took Marvelous' vacated seat. Joe thought Gai smiled too much as it was, but it was like the beaming grin had not left his face since this whole Christmas thing started. Joe was fascinated by the concept, and thought it sounded like a nice idea, but he couldn't say he was as caught up in the excitement the way the rest of the crew was.

"That looks like it will be delicious," Gai said cheerfully. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

"It seems like a lot of unnecessary work," Joe grumbled.

"But Joe-san, it's worth it!" Gai said, championing the cause of Christmas once more to the reluctant first mate. "Christmas is about being together, spending quality time with the people you care about most. It's about giving and sharing."

There was a question Joe had wanted to ask Gai, but he was yet to find a way to casually slip it into a conversation. Thankfully, the eager Earthling spared him the trouble.

"Have you thought about presents yet?" Gai asked, but then kept talking before Joe had a chance to answer. "I think I know what to get Marvelous and Ahim, but I'm struggling with what to get the rest of you."

"I don't want any presents," Joe said gruffly.

"Ah, but it's Christmas, Joe-san! You're getting a present."

"Why?"

"Why?" Gai looked confused. "Because at Christmas time, you're meant to get presents for the people you care about. Family, friends—special someones." Gai wriggled his eyebrows at the last part, not through any suspicion Joe had someone in mind, but just in a general teasing air. When the first mate's cheeks reddened slightly, though, Gai exclaimed and clamped one hand over his own mouth, gesturing wildly with the other one.

Joe shot him a glare, before glancing over his shoulder at Ahim and Luka. They'd finished decorating the tree, and were heading towards the private cabins. Once they left the main cabin, Joe did a quick scan of the room before returning to the pudding. He'd finished making his mixture, but kept stirring to give the appearance of nonchalance.

"Joe-san!" Gai exclaimed in an excited whisper. "There _is_ a special someone! Who? _Who_?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Joe muttered, embarrassed. Now was the perfect time to ask the question he'd been holding in for over a day, but he still found it hard to find the words.

Gai just grinned at him, like an idiot. Joe desperately wanted to punch him, but restrained himself. He needed Gai's help.

"With people from Earth," Joe asked tentatively, trying to sound disinterested. "What do they get for each other? What do people buy for, say, their family? Their friends? Their... their special someone?"

Gai wasn't fooled, though, and gave Joe a knowing grin. "That depends," he said. He stroked his chin in thought. "You need to know what the person you're buying a gift for likes. That goes for everyone. But if it's a special someone," Gai raised his eyebrows, leaning his head in towards Joe. The first mate frowned and pushed him away. "If it's for a special someone, it has to be something … _romantic!_" Gai concluded dramatically.

"What do you mean, 'romantic'?" Joe said, trying and failing miserably to keep up his nonchalance.

"Ah, that's for you to decide, Joe-san!" Gai said, getting to his feet. "It needs to be a gift from _you_, not a gift from me."

And with that Gai bounded off, gleefully happy at his 'discovery'. Joe sighed, feeling no closer to solving his dilemma. He glanced towards the staircase leading down to the private cabins. This whole Christmas thing was more trouble than it was worth.

**Okay, REEEEEEEALLY short opening, but I thought in the spirit of sharing, I'd share this fic with you all. Now, I already have a few ideas of my own that I'm going to include, but if anyone has any requests/suggestions for what THEY'D like to see in a Gokaiger Christmas, I'm open to suggestions! I'll try to work in as many as possible, so long asthey don't clash with other suggestions/where I was already planning on this story to go.**

**Merry Christmas!**

**Little Goose :-D**


	2. Part Two

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Super Sentai or anything associated with it.

**Rating:** K

**Summary: **It's Christmas aboard the Gokai Galleon! Just a little ramble fic because I'm in the holiday spirit :-D

**A/N: **Thanks to those who have offered suggestions so far :-D I've tried to work in as many as possible (some will be in the next chapter or two), but I'm still taking suggestions if anyone else wants to contribute to the communal Christmas story :p

**A/N2:** No one has mentioned it yet, but before someone does: this story will be conveniently working around the whole "monster of the week" thing by simply not including any bad guys. I just want to write a nice, light-hearted, non-canon, fun type of story. So yes, it will flatly contradict the storyline we know we are going to get :-p UPDATE 27/12: That we got ;-) Was it just me, or did the Galleon scenes from the preview not make the final cut of the episode? What a letdown, I was looking forward to the return of BakingJoe :p

**Thanks to:** _WeLcOmE2pArAdIsE_ and _MakubeDaKiddX_ whose suggestions (some of them—more to come!) appear in this chapter :-)

**A GOKAI CHRISTMAS STORY**

**Part two**

Gai liked to think he was a man of many talents. His awesome, innate (as he liked to think) Super Sentai skills got a regular workout. However, he was sure his sleuthing skills were almost on par with his GokaiSilver abilities.

And so it was that he found himself, on the eve of Christmas Eve, sneaking around the Gokai Galleon dressed as one of Santa's elves. _Add 'master of disguise'_ _to the CV_, he thought happily. Gai knew that Joe liked someone. He also knew that Joe would never in a million years tell him who it was, so he decided espionage held the key to finding the answer. He _didn't_ know that Joe had seen him in the elf outfit, and was simply ignoring him. Joe had long ago given up any hope of figuring out how Gai's convoluted mind worked.

Marvelous and Doc had also seen the outfit as Gai thought he was hiding in the shadows. Doc had made a move to go question him, but Marvelous stuck his hand out, catching Doc squarely in the solar plexus with an arm chop. As the ship's mechanic gasped and panted for breath beside him, Marvelous simply shook his head, a wry smile on his face. He wanted to see how this would play out.

Joe was very aware of the fact that wherever he went, the over-sized elf followed close behind. The elf had been there as Joe _attempted_ Christmas shopping—he'd felt far too self-conscious with Gai watching to even begin to look for a present for Ahim, and had vindictively 'forgotten' to pick up a present for the ridiculous Earthling.

Joe knew Gai would be suspicious about the two missing presents, however, and knew he'd have to buy them eventually. He tried to throw off the pseudo-spy, weaving and meandering his way through the shopping centre as fast as he could navigate through the crowd.

It was on this mission that he literally bumped into Ahim out the front of a toy store in the large mall. The former princess let out a soft exclamation, and Joe's free hand shot out to grasp her by the shoulder, steadying her. He mumbled an apology, caught between wanting to escape from Gai and an instinctive desire to stay wherever she was.

"Joe-san," Ahim smiled. "I see you have had the same idea as me. We're not the only ones who have left our shopping until the last minute."

Joe offered a stilted smirk, very aware of the large green cap and over-sized pointy-toed shoes not far behind him.

"Gai," Ahim said, turning to the elf. "Can I ask your opinion on a present I bought for Doc?"

"You can see me?" Gai asked, clearly devastated. Ahim frowned and cocked her head to the side, clearly baffled.

"Everyone can see you," Joe said gruffly.

"You knew I was following you?" Gai asked, abashed.

Joe nodded, before adding: "Next time, ask for a costume without so many bells."

Gai looked mortified as he glanced down at the bells on his cuffs, trousers and shoes, before turning a withering glare on the tip of his hat bowing down in front of his face.

"I think your outfit looks lovely," Ahim said generously, smiling. Joe made a 'hmph'ing sound beside her.

Gai was loudly bemoaning his bad luck when a child's shout was heard clearly across the crowded corridor: "Look! There he is! I told you I saw one of Santa's elves!"

Before any of the Gokaigers could react, Gai was swamped by noisy, poking, excited children.

"Now, let's get a move on!" Joe said urgently, taking Ahim by the hand and starting to lead her away.

Ahim glanced back over her shoulder at Gai before turning her wide-eyed gaze on Joe. "Shouldn't we try to help Gai?"

"He brought this on himself," Joe said firmly, still looking forward.

Ahim simply shrugged, a small smile back on her face. Gai knew what he was doing, perhaps he'd worn the outfit for the children after all. An idea had started to form in Ahim's head since she saw the first child delightedly run up to Gai, and the more she thought about it, the better it sounded.

"Joe-san, if you will excuse me, I have a few more things to pick up," she smiled at him. She would have asked for his help, but she thought she knew what his answer would be. No, Doc was better suited for this task.

Joe realised he was still holding her hand and immediately dropped it as though it was a red-hot coal. He gave her a brief farewell nod, turning on his heel and quickly moving away. He had a few more presents of his own to buy, after all.

* * *

><p>Luka had fallen in love with the idea of Christmas ever since Gai told her the various tales from Earth. The one about the night before Christmas, peace on Earth, good will to all men—though she only owned up to her love about the idea of presents, her softer side was moved by the stories of the joy Christmas brought. Thinking of the wonder of a white Christmas, Luka sat down on a bench in the park. Fia would have loved Christmas.<p>

A while later, Luka looked up from her musings, taking in the scenery for the first time. Something was wrong with the picture. It wasn't the Christmas trees. They were there, standing large and decorated by the locals and placed intermittently throughout the reserve. It wasn't the people waddling down the walkways under the burden of too-many shopping bags. It wasn't the children running around, laughing and chatting excitedly about what they hoped the morrow would bring. No.

It was that everything was green.

Where was the white Christmas Gai had been telling her about? Where was the snow, the snowmen, the snow angels, the white finish to every tree?

Luka frowned. This was not right. She glanced at the sky—was it going to snow? She wasn't sure. She'd have to ask Gai if he knew. She was determined that her first—and possibly last, for who knew if she would have achieved her dream by this time next year—Christmas was going to be perfect, and by the book.

But how could you make it snow?

* * *

><p>"It is my expert opinion that you have not made enough stuffing," Marvelous informed Doc.<p>

"Eh?" a frazzled, less-than-presentable Doc whined. "I've made twice what the book said, Marvelous! There is only so much space it can fill, anyway."

"Then it is my expert opinion that we need a second chicken," Marvelous nodded, adding authority to his point.

"Well, why don't you cook it then?" Doc asked, feeling his ire starting to rise.

"Captain's orders, make a second chicken," Marvelous said.

"Eh? You have to stop just throwing 'Captain's orders' into every conversation to get your way!" Doc scolded him. Marvelous was unfazed. He'd never truly pulled rank until the fight with Warz Gils, but now that he realised how complete his power was, he'd taken to shamelessly abusing it.

"Two chickens," Marvelous said with finality, leaving Doc to his work. He had an errand to run. Plus, he wanted to see what sort of food was on offer in the shopping mall on Christmas Eve.

* * *

><p>Joe sighed. This was pathetic. He'd found the others' presents hours ago. Only one remained. He was getting frustrated with himself, and with the holiday. More than that, he was thoroughly sick of the crowded shopping centre. He just wanted to return to the Gokai Galleon for some peace and quiet. Of course, he'd have to retire to his private cabin for that.<p>

What was it Gai had said again? He had to think about what she liked, what her interests were. It also had to be romantic. He still blushed a little every time he so much as thought the word, even after hours of searching. This was hopeless. No, he'd just have to forget the second point altogether; it was complicating things even more than they already were.

_What did she like?_ Well, he knew she liked tea. She liked frilly things, too, but he would not be caught dead buying anything frilly, even if it was for Ahim. She liked Earth, too, almost as much as Gai. She was always fascinated by the culture, and the random trinkets she came across.

Joe looked up at the store he had just arrived at. It was a gift store. _This will have to do_, he decided, determined to get her the first thing his eyes landed on and finally leave this accursed place.

An hour later he left the store with another bag clutched firmly in his hands, his step quick. Done.

**There we go everyone :-) I don't know what kind of daft fool I was, thinking I'd actually have time to write a multi-chapter story this week past :-S My word, it's been busy! I have been finding time to write a few random scenes though—some from here, some from the next chapter. This will only have one or two more entries, so hopefully I should be done in the next few days.**

**Remember, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them and try to work them in!**

**Hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas,**

**Little Goose**


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